Page 113
Story: The First Gentleman
Felicia is clearly starting to lose it as she defends her daughter’s honor. “Suzanne was a good girl!”
Aware that she’s just created a hostile witness, the defense attorney dials it back. “Nobody’s questioning that, Mrs. Bonanno,” Hardy says. “All I’m suggesting is that your daughter could have been wearing a bracelet given to her by one man while she was dating another man. Or two.”
“Your Honor! Objection! Badgering!” Bastinelli interjects.
I can tell that Hardy is getting in his head, which is exactly where she wants to be.
Judge Dow looks down over his glasses. “Sustained. Ms. Hardy, you know better.”
“I’ll stop there, Your Honor. No further questions.”
CHAPTER
103
Judge Dow adjourns early. I look for Felicia Bonanno, but she’s already gone.
After the proceedings, the road is shut down for thirty minutes while the Secret Service extracts Cole Wright and shuttles him, ankle monitor and all, back to the inn where he’s staying.
The convoy can’t avoid the TV trucks and demonstrators that have taken over the parking lot. I hope Felicia figured out how to bypass them.
When the road reopens, I hike back to where I parked the Subaru. I’m just about to open my car door when my phone chimes with an incoming text. It’s from an unknown sender. Just a link to an article from theNew York Timesheadlined “Columbia Professor Dies in Car Crash.”
Holy shit!
I enlarge the text and absorb the story in quick nuggets.Cameron Graham, JD. Heart attack. Lost control of vehicle. Midtown East. No pedestrians injured.
I lean back against the car. I’m stunned. But I’m not totallysurprised. Dr. Graham underwent a quadruple bypass my second year of law school.
Now what?
Garrett—gone. Amber—gone. Amalfi—gone. Dr. Graham—gone.
At this point, I’ve got more dead ends than good leads. And now I’m wondering about all the secrets that died with him. Especially about his alter ego, Doc Cams.
The news has me rattled. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being followed. I take a circuitous route back to my hotel, but when I arrive, I see an unnerving sight: My watchers sitting in a car in the parking lot. Clearly they’re waiting for me.
Enough.My adrenaline is pumping.I want answers.
I start marching toward them. Before I can get there, the car peels out.
Who the hell are these people?
As I open the door to my room, my phone rings.
The name on the caller ID is Laurie Keaton.
I’ve got so many names flying around in my head, it takes me a second to make the connection. I take the call. “Hello, this is Brea.”
“Hi, Brea. This is Laurie, from the off-campus student residence in Hanover. You and your partner were here in January—you wanted a list of people who lived in the house at the same time as the Wrights. Sorry it took me so long to dig it up. Did you get it?”
“Oh, I moved about six months ago. When did you send it?”
“I mailed a copy about two months ago to an address in… let’s see… Litchfield, Connecticut.”
Shit! My old address. I’d had my mail forwarded, but who knows what happened to that envelope.
“I’ve been watching the trial on TV and I remembered yousaying those names might be important. That’s why I called to check.”
Aware that she’s just created a hostile witness, the defense attorney dials it back. “Nobody’s questioning that, Mrs. Bonanno,” Hardy says. “All I’m suggesting is that your daughter could have been wearing a bracelet given to her by one man while she was dating another man. Or two.”
“Your Honor! Objection! Badgering!” Bastinelli interjects.
I can tell that Hardy is getting in his head, which is exactly where she wants to be.
Judge Dow looks down over his glasses. “Sustained. Ms. Hardy, you know better.”
“I’ll stop there, Your Honor. No further questions.”
CHAPTER
103
Judge Dow adjourns early. I look for Felicia Bonanno, but she’s already gone.
After the proceedings, the road is shut down for thirty minutes while the Secret Service extracts Cole Wright and shuttles him, ankle monitor and all, back to the inn where he’s staying.
The convoy can’t avoid the TV trucks and demonstrators that have taken over the parking lot. I hope Felicia figured out how to bypass them.
When the road reopens, I hike back to where I parked the Subaru. I’m just about to open my car door when my phone chimes with an incoming text. It’s from an unknown sender. Just a link to an article from theNew York Timesheadlined “Columbia Professor Dies in Car Crash.”
Holy shit!
I enlarge the text and absorb the story in quick nuggets.Cameron Graham, JD. Heart attack. Lost control of vehicle. Midtown East. No pedestrians injured.
I lean back against the car. I’m stunned. But I’m not totallysurprised. Dr. Graham underwent a quadruple bypass my second year of law school.
Now what?
Garrett—gone. Amber—gone. Amalfi—gone. Dr. Graham—gone.
At this point, I’ve got more dead ends than good leads. And now I’m wondering about all the secrets that died with him. Especially about his alter ego, Doc Cams.
The news has me rattled. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being followed. I take a circuitous route back to my hotel, but when I arrive, I see an unnerving sight: My watchers sitting in a car in the parking lot. Clearly they’re waiting for me.
Enough.My adrenaline is pumping.I want answers.
I start marching toward them. Before I can get there, the car peels out.
Who the hell are these people?
As I open the door to my room, my phone rings.
The name on the caller ID is Laurie Keaton.
I’ve got so many names flying around in my head, it takes me a second to make the connection. I take the call. “Hello, this is Brea.”
“Hi, Brea. This is Laurie, from the off-campus student residence in Hanover. You and your partner were here in January—you wanted a list of people who lived in the house at the same time as the Wrights. Sorry it took me so long to dig it up. Did you get it?”
“Oh, I moved about six months ago. When did you send it?”
“I mailed a copy about two months ago to an address in… let’s see… Litchfield, Connecticut.”
Shit! My old address. I’d had my mail forwarded, but who knows what happened to that envelope.
“I’ve been watching the trial on TV and I remembered yousaying those names might be important. That’s why I called to check.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157